Reclosable package



May 3 w67 P. c. COLLURA RECLOSABLE PACKAGE Filed April 27, 1966 United States Patent Ofllice 3,322,265 Patented May 30, 1967 ABSTRACT Olli THE DISCLUSURE A package formed of a rigid tubular body and an overlapping flexible closure integral therewith that projects beyond one end of the body and is suitable to be rolled or folded on itself to close said body end.

This invention relates to a reclosable package having a substantially rigid tubular body and a flexible closure integral therewith at one end that can be folded or rolled on itself for closing or opening the body, and also to a method of fabricating a blank suitable for forming this package.

Many products, particularly cookies or equivalent bakery food line products, are traditionally sold in a flexible bag formed of paper. The bag has a conventional squared bottom, and has a gabled top that can be rolled or folded on itself to act as a closure. The buying public has become very receptive to merchandising quality products this way and manufacturers, recognizing this are generally wary of changing the package style. However, the bag construction has presented several defects which heretofore have been reluctantly tolerated,

The most obvious defect of a flexible paper bag is the lack of protection offered the product contained therein. Although a paperboard inner liner of some sort is used, the bag construction still is far short of the protection offered by a conventional paperboard carton, Another defect of a flexible bag is the crinkling of the bag surface that occurs and that can detract from or impair the printed copy of advertising or product identification. This defect again could readily be eliminated by a substantially rigid paperboard carton.

This invention provides an improved package that has uct and a flexible tubular extension integra] with the body section which can be folded or rolled on itself to provide convenient access to the carton and its contents. The subject package thus maintains the overall appearance and functioning of a flexible bag conventionally used for these products, while it offers adequate protection of the prod- HCl.

A main object of this invention is to provide a package having a rigid body structure and having a flexible closure structure integral with and at one end of the body structure that can be folded on itself to open and close the package, the package having an appearance similar to a flexible paper bag.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a blank suitable for forming the package contained in the previous object, the method including bringing a sheet of paperboard and a sheet of flexible material such as paper into overlapped positions with the marginal edge of the flexible material projecting beyond the paperboard, bonding the sheets together, and die cutting the bonded sheets into the individual blanks for the package all as a continuous operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a package having a generally rigid body section including formed therein a die cut opening that offers product visibility, and the package additionally having a flexible closure at one end.

These and other objects will be more fully understood and appreciated after reviewing the following specification and drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the showing the same in its closed condition;

PIG. 2 is a perspective view of the URE l, except showing the open condition;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the composite blank showing the overlap of the rigid paperboard and flexible paper that is suitable to form the package of FIGURES 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective View showing how webs of paper and paperboard are overlapped and are bonded together to define a composite blank and how this blank is die cut and scored to form the blank disclosed in FIGURE 3.

The package 10 is shown in a perspective view in FIG. 1 and includes a body section 12 and a top closure section 14. The body 12 has side walls 16, 17, 18 and 19 which are arranged in pairs and are hingedly interconnected on subject package package of FIG- the top and bottom closure in longitudinal fold lines 21, 22, 23 and 24 to one another.

The body section terminates at the top closure 14 of the carton, and a bottom wall is formed by overlapping flaps 26 and 27 hinged to the side walls at the bottom of the body section. The top closure 14 has generally sloping top walls 311 and 31 hinged t0 the tops of the side walls 16 and 18, respectively, and interfolded gusset walls including triangular panels 33 and 34 hinged to the side wall 17 and 19 and gusset panels 40, 41, 42 and 43 formed between the triangular panels and the opposing top walls. The top closure 14 is folded over on itself to close the top of the body 12. A liner 46 is confined within the package and surrounds the product therein to provide the necessary barrier for maintaining product freshness.

In the subject package, the body section 12 and the bottom closure are formed of paperboard 48, and the top of a material such as paper Si), subpaper Sil preferably extends from the top closure over the paperboard tubular body and closure flaps and is bonded to the paperboard 48 therebeneath. Thus, the bottom wall board and paper, sisting only of the paper.

To form a composite blank of this type having both the paper and paperboard, it is desirable: to bond the separate sheets of paper and paperboard together. Thus, a

This can be accomplished by a combining machine such as a Mer* cury Laminator, by applying adhesive between the surfaces, by heat sealing the surfaces, or any combination of these depending on the paper or paperboard use. The method of forming the composite blank can include bont'- ing the entire overlapping surfaces of the paper and paperboard together, although with certain types of paper and paperboard and for certain end uses of the blank it may be more desirable or economical to provide only a partial bonding between the overlapped areas. This might be necessary for instances where warpage may be a problem because of the size of blank being formed.

(including the bottom wall and equal to the combined heights of the subject package, and overlapping the webs together symmetrically of one another so that the paper web projects beyond the side edges of the paperboard web. Thereafter, the webs can be brought together between opposing rolls 52 and 54 and bonded in a suitable manner as mentioned above, and the bonded composite web 56 of paper and paperboard can be die cut down the center and at appropriate transverse locations to form individual blanks for the package, two complete blanks being formed for each transverse cut. The blanks can also be scored longitudinally and transversely, as required, particularly in the area of the paperboard, in the same die cutting operation to provide fold lines for the package.

Typically, blanks of this type will be shipped from the box manufacturers plant in a flattened condition to the packager, and will be glued and set up in the packagers plant, A conventional double package making machine can typically be used, which flrst packages the particular product in a barrier liner such as wax paper, cellophane or the like, and which thereafter forms the blank over the liner. The liner is fitted around a mandrel and sealed together along marginal edges to form a tubular structure, and one end of the tubular structure is generally closed and sealed. Thereafter, the blank of combined paper and paperboard is formed around the mandrel over the liner at which time the marginal side edges along glue flaps 47 and 49 and panels 16 and 30 are overlapped and bonded together. The bottom closure flaps are then closed and secured together. The package is then ready to be filled with product through the open tops of the liner and package body.

Filling can occur by merely dumping the product into the open top of the package to effect a random product arrangement or by depositing arranged layers of products into the package by means of a shoe type chute where a particular product arrangement is desired. After being filled, the liner is closed and sealed and the outer flexible top closure of the package body is rolled on itself and glued or secured closed las required.

Typically, the liner 46 will be of a barrier material such as foiled paper, poly coated paper, pure foil, pure poly, or a combination of any of these. It is possible by means of a transparent liner and a window 58 die cut in the body section of the carton to provide for product display.

The subject package construction thus provides full paperboard body protection of the confined product while maintaining an overall bag-like appearance and closure functioning. Moreover, the printed exterior surface of the package will maintain a smooth appearance, without 5 Wrinkling, throughout the life of the package,

What is claimed 1s:

1. A reclosable package, comprising:

(a) a tubular paperboard body open at one end;

(b) an overwrap of material such as paper, film, or the like that is relatively flexible as compared to the paperboard completely covering and being bonded to the paperboard body and extending beyond the open one end thereof to define a flexible tubular extension for the paperboard body;

(c) said flexible tubular extension being adapted to be folded or rolled on itself to provide a reclosable closure for the one open end of the paperboard body;

(d) the other end of the paperboard body being closed by overlapping paperboard flaps integral with the tubular body and hinged to the corresponding end edge of said body.

2. A reclosable package according to claim 1, wherein the overwrap of flexible material is bonded to the tubular body throughout the entire area of overlap thereof.

3. A reclosable package according to claim 1, wherein a liner is disposed within the package and a product is confined in the liner, and wherein the paperboard body and overwrap of flexible material in the area of overlap has an opening therein to expose the liner for product display from the exterior of the package.

4. A reclosable package according to claim 1, wherein the overwrap of flexible material completely covers and is bonded to said closure flaps.

5. A reclosable package according to claim 4, wherein the overwrap of flexible material is bonded to the tubular body and to the closure flaps throughout the entire area of overlap thereof.

6. A reclosable package according to claim 1, wherein the flexible tubular extension has provided therein lines of score that correspond to corner lines of fold in the package and opposing pairs of converging lines of score extending from the corner lines of fold that define a gable-type foldable closure for the extension.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,502,481 4/1950 Roper 229-55 2,619,801 12/1952 Evans 229-55 2,766,926 10/1956 Thompson 229-55 2,959,336 11/1960 Mosse et al 229-14 3,194,471 7/1965 Murphy 229-14 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Examiner. 

1. A RECLOSABLE PACKAGE, COMPRISING: (A) A TUBULAR PAPERBOARD BODY OPEN AT ONE END; (B) AN OVERWRAP OF MATERIAL SUCH AS PAPER, FILM, OR THE LIKE THAT IS RELATIVELY FLEXIBLE AS COMPARED TO THE PAPERBOARD COMPLETELY COVERING AND BEING BONDED TO THE PAPERBOARD BODY AND EXTENDIND BEYOND THE OPEN ONE END THEREOF TO DEFINE A FLEXIBLE TUBULAR EXTENSION FOR THE PAPERBOARD BODY; (C) SAID FLEXIBLE TUBULAR EXTENSION BEING ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED OR ROLLED ON ITSELF TO PROVIDE A RECLOSABLE CLOSURE FOR THE ONE OPEN END OF THE PAPERBOARD BODY; (D) THE OTHER END OF THE PAPERBOARD BODY BEING CLOSED BY OVERLAPPING PAPERBOARD FLAPS INTEGRAL WITH THE TUBULAR BODY AND HINGED TO THE CORRESPONDING END EDGE OF SAID BODY. 